The Opposition leaders were allegedly heckled by the Trinamool Congress cadres and the police in two separate incidents in West Bengal on Wednesday. While Bharatiya Janata Party State president Dilip Ghosh was manhandled by the TMC cadres in Cooch Behar district, senior Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya was “forcefully stopped” by the police in Birbhum district.
Mr. Ghosh, who was on his way to a party meeting at Sitalkuchi block in Cooch Behar, was stopped midway by the police and TMC cadres. The incident took place in the Harinchowrasta area around 11.15 a.m. In a statement issued later, the State BJP leadership alleged that Mr. Ghosh “was abused by the TMC goons where police were mere spectators. His public meeting was also cancelled at the very last moment without any valid reason by the police and administration”.
‘Also threatened’
Meanwhile, Mr. Bhattacharya, CPI(M) leader and former Mayor of Kolkata, was stopped by the police in Bolepur town of Birbhum while he along with the Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly Abdul Mannan was on his way to Shibpur village to address a public meeting.
Birbhum TMC president accused Mr. Bhattacharya and Mr. Mannan of indulging in “dirty politics” and threatened “to beat them up” if they try to come to Shibpur again.
According to a seniorpolice officer, Mr. Bhattacharya and Mr. Mannan were stopped from going to Shibpur as their presence might have jeopardised the “law and order situation” in the area.